Opening Note

The BDR network now covers 20,000 miles. Bezzecchi swept Aprilia to four of the top four positions at Mandalika and Martín leads the championship by two points with five rounds remaining. KLIM has redesigned the Kodiak — a touring suit that has, with some justification, been called the benchmark. ZAKAR is today. There is, as ever, rather a lot to get through.

RawHyde ZAKAR opens today · Barber wraps this weekend

RawHyde Wild Card Rally at ZAKAR opens today in the Mojave Desert — October 16 through 18 — and if you are reading this on Thursday morning and have not yet departed, there remains a reasonable argument for going anyway. GPS-guided routes through Jawbone Canyon OHV area, optional half-day riding clinics, chef-prepared meals in the desert, and what RawHyde describes diplomatically as a "Saturday casino situation" that several past attendees have described with more enthusiasm than precision. Registration is $450. Camping and dry RV spots are available on-site. The Mojave in mid-October is, by most accounts, the correct time of year to be in the Mojave — warm during the day, genuinely cool after sundown, and largely absent the ambient discomfort that characterises summer visits.

Meanwhile, Barber Vintage Festival runs through this Sunday in Leeds, Alabama — the 21st edition. AHRMA road racing on the 2.38-mile circuit, the vintage swap meet with 400-plus vendors, and the Motorcycles by Moonlight gala Saturday evening at the museum. If you are within reasonable distance and not otherwise occupied, the weekend window is still open.

BDR 2026 Progress Report · 20,000 miles · Montana premiere in February

Backcountry Discovery Routes has released its 2026 Progress Report, and the headline figure is 20,000 miles of mapped and maintained routes across the network. That number has a certain weight to it. The original COBDR was 700 miles. In fifteen years, this has become a continent-wide infrastructure project — the kind of thing that makes a summer of planning feel less like logistics and more like choosing among a surplus of good problems.

Routes currently in development include the Michigan BDR, the Driftless Wisconsin/Iowa BDR-X, the Grand Staircase Utah BDR-X, and Vancouver Island BC BDR-X. The Driftless corridor in particular is worth watching — the region running through southwestern Wisconsin and northeastern Iowa is among the most underappreciated riding terrain in the midwest, the sort of landscape that does not announce itself until you are already in it.

The 15th main route, the Montana BDR, is confirmed for a February premiere in Bozeman with a nationwide film tour to follow. The MTBDR will link Montana's mountain ranges into the existing IDBDR and WYBDR network. If you are planning a northern Rockies run for next summer, the GPS tracks will drop sometime after the premiere — put the film tour date in the calendar now.

Red Bull Straight Rhythm · Fairplex, Pomona · This weekend

Red Bull Straight Rhythm runs at the Fairplex in Pomona, California this weekend — a head-to-head bracket competition on a half-mile supercross track with every corner removed. The premise disarms with its simplicity. There is one straight, there is rhythm, and there are two riders launching off the same start gate who will not encounter another corner until the evening is over.

The event asks a single question — who is fastest on a straight, over rhythm, with nowhere to hide and no tactics available beyond commitment and technique — and answers it with an efficiency that three hours of bracket racing under lights in Pomona makes feel dramatic regardless. Red Bull TV streams it live. If the MotoGP overseas swing is occupying your Saturday attention selectively, this fills the gaps with the appropriate amount of noise.

KLIM Kodiak Gen 4 · Fourth generation, CE AA rating, GORE-TEX Pro

KLIM has released the fourth generation of the Kodiak, and after a redesign of this scope it is worth examining properly. The suit — jacket $1,199.99, pants $849.99 — targets the long-distance rider specifically, which has been the Kodiak's stated position since the first generation. What has changed is the armour, the abrasion strategy, and the rating.

The shell is three-layer GORE-TEX Pro — unchanged from previous generations in material, though KLIM has revised the construction to earn a CE AA rating, which represents a meaningful step up in abrasion resistance. The new Rogue EXP Level 2 armour pads provide approximately 44% more impact coverage than the previous version while remaining notably lighter and more breathable, which is the sort of engineering improvement that sounds incremental until you are five hours into a day in the saddle. Perforated goat leather overlays protect the knees, shoulders, and elbows; 630D Cordura handles the remaining high-wear areas. A 14-port ventilation system covers jacket and pants together, and a removable storm collar seals the gap between helmet and jacket in conditions that require it.

KLIM uses a refined European fit standard with split sizing — smaller sizes receive Compact Rogue EXP pads, larger sizes standard EXP padding. Available in Dress Blues, Asphalt, and Black. The fourth generation returns to the understated aesthetic of KLIM's early suits, which is a design choice that suits the Kodiak's actual use case: long days across varied terrain and climate, where the objective is to disappear into the journey rather than announce the kit. At this price and this rating, it is the benchmark until further notice.

MotoGP · Indonesian Grand Prix · Mandalika · Round 17 of 22

Mandalika produced something that will generate discussion for the remainder of the season: Aprilia swept the top four positions in a single MotoGP race. Bezzecchi won — his first victory of 2026, and the first time he has led a lap in a main race since Mugello — followed by Raúl Fernández (Trackhouse), Martín, and Ai Ogura (Trackhouse). Four bikes. One manufacturer. Four of the top four. In MotoGP, where the engineering and regulatory environment is calibrated to prevent precisely this kind of outcome, it is a result that demands a second reading.

Márquez, who had briefly retaken the championship lead after Saturday's Sprint, finished outside the top five in the race. The precise margin of his misfortune matters less than the outcome: Martín's third place restored his lead, and what had been a one-point deficit is now a two-point advantage.

Race Result

What the Mandalika result illustrates — and what this championship is now clarifying — is that Aprilia has become the fastest motorcycle in the field at certain tracks, and Martín is among the three or four riders capable of maximising what any machine beneath him has to offer. Bezzecchi winning in Mandalika was not an upset; it was Aprilia having a good Sunday. Five rounds remain, and the gap can plausibly close or extend in a single afternoon. Current standings. Australia is next, November 1.